Lesson 10: Holy Spirit, of Sin and Sinner

It is not as outrageous as one might think but an integral part of God’s plan for all humankind. The Comforter is also our Reprover (KJV) or the Spirit of Conviction. He’s the little white guy the cartoonist’s will draw on your shoulder, whispering in your ear, imploring you to come to Christ or do the right thing while the little red fella urges you to break out and do evil instead.

John 16:7-11 (ESV)

7Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for(A) if I do not go away,(B) the Helper will not come to you. But(C) if(D) I go,(E) I will send him to you. 8(F) And when he comes, he will(G) convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9concerning sin,(H) because they do not believe in me; 10(I) concerning righteousness,(J) because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11(K) concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world(L) is judged.

 He has His work cut out for him; he has to convince us, convict us, and convey to us our faults. That is a tall order; he is commissioned by God to be brimming with bad news. What is the good news? He already made a way of escape and if you will but listen, He will lead you into all truth. Sometimes, the truth will hurt. The light dispels darkness but when you have lived in the dark a long time, the light hurts your eyes.

The more a soul gets used to walking in the light, the kinder the light becomes, our eyes adjust, and that darkness – well, it is what it is. The only difference now is that since shedding some light on the subject you see just how deep, how opaque, and dismal that black nothingness is and wonder why you stayed for so long. This is only possible through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

If you struggle with walking in the Light, you have to ask yourself, “Are you really a child of God?” If you are, why does following Him present such a problem for you? Why is it more comfortable for you to walk in darkness? Are you truly a child of light? You don’t have to share that answer with anyone but God. You do not have to share that on this blog. Instead, I ask you to share your hearts with God today. The matter is personal and the answer is between you and Jesus.

The Christian life is never easy; the promise of joy in the morning is our blessed hope but that time is not yet come. Separation and sacrifice are essential parts of our Christian walk (Romans 12:1,2). No amount of haggling with God will change those commandments.

If more than one way existed to win God’s favor, the Bible would contain that information. Instead, it tells us there is but one way, which is through Christ Jesus and His finished work on Calvary (John 14:6). Without repentance there is no remission of sin (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3; Luke 24:47). If loving God and keeping His commandments was optional, He would have communicated as such. On the contrary, we read in John 3:5 that we must be “born of water and of the spirit.”

Why those two commandments you ask? Recall Christ’s words later when he said, “…if ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free (John 8:31,32 KJV).” Which is also why he asked, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord but do not do what I tell you (Luke 6:46).”

“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you (Romans 8:11).”

God’s Word tells us the believer should be like Christ, not the world. We should obey the Lord, keep His commandments, and walk in His love if we are His children.

“For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes (Luke 6:44).” Folks may wonder what that means. In plain English, it means you cannot witness to the guy next to you sitting in a bar. You cannot glorify God while patronizing a strip club. A woman has no business looking into the eyes of another woman’s husband and expect to find love and God’s will for her life. The Lord will not bless your sin. He will not honor unions born out of deception and cheating. He honors those relationships formed by His love and righteousness. This is what the Lord blesses. Don’t expect to find good when you have sown evil. Without repentance there is no remission of sin.

The Spirit of Conviction

“…And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment”

The Greek word for “reprove” or “convict” in the text is “elegeho” and means to admonish, confute, convict, or reprove. How does the heart come upon repentance? It is a work of the Holy Spirit. One of His primary ministries is to convince you, convict you of your sin, and convey to you your faults that you might make things right with God.

He is that pesky little white guy on your right shoulder; when He comes knocking there will be no rest for your soul until you answer one question: what are you going to do about Jesus? He will keep knocking until you answer. He passionately pursues the souls who are lost; he wants none to perish but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9 KJV).

The sin spoken of in this passage is the universal sin of rejection of Christ, the Son of God, as the Messiah. It is not the several commissions of sin but the universal rejection of Him that creates the chasm between man and a loving God who only wishes to redeem lost soul and restore you to His bosom (John 3:16-18).

Does it not stand to reason that if the Spirit indwells you then His presence in your life should be evident? Should I have to go looking for you in a bar? Is that where the Holy Spirit prefers to abide? No, He does not prefer bars and brothels, which is why believers are usually uncomfortable in those places. The Spirit within you becomes uneasy; God is not pleased when we return to our former lives to do things that do not bring glory to Him or honor to us. Should I search for you on the corner looking to score a dime? Would the Spirit be there? Oh, He might be there gently urging a non-believer to lay down those vices and come to Christ but He’s not asked you to tag along. He is there performing heart surgery and the last thing he needs is a carnal interruption like you in the wrong place at the wrong time.There are a few instances of repentance in God’s Word, which are:

The Crowd at Pentecost (Acts 2:22; Acts 2:37)

The Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:29-38)

Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1-6)

Cornelius, the Centurion (Acts 10:44)

Philippian Jailor (Acts 16:25-34)

Governor Felix (Acts 24:24, 25)

King Agrippa (Acts 26:23-28)

He knows that this soul seeing a professing believer there might cause him not to answer the Spirit when He calls. They might believe God approves, or passes over, their sin which takes away the expediency of the issue. They might delay their decision to come to Christ like Felix and Agrippa; they could be one shot of heroin away from life or death. Did your poor witness alter their course? Don’t have that blood on your hands, friend. Even worse, they might be so sickened by the presence of a so-called Christian that their heart will be hardened forever…and lost…to a fate that originally was reserved for the devil and his angels.

The Comforter is also the Reprover, which is a separate ministry regarding sin and the sinner. The messenger of the Holy Spirit, those who act on behalf of the Spirit, doing the work to which God has called them, has a good chance of getting shot in these scenarios. People love to shoot the messenger when the message does not suit them. It is much easier for them to blame the person rather than God. It’s easier to call your friend judgmental when the message pricks your heart than to consider that message may have come from God just for you (and that person’s mouth was just a vehicle to reach you).

The Spirit of Conviction then is the alter-ego of the Comforter. You may ask, “Does the Holy Spirit have two personalities?” No, He does not but He has many ministries. Each ministry fulfills part of God’s divine plan for humankind and shows how much He loves us and wishes to dwell among us. Without conviction, no one would know there is none righteous save Christ Jesus (Romans 3:10). Without conviction, there would be no repentance. Without conviction, no one would realize God loved them enough to send His son to die and the life they now live is unacceptable before a holy God. There is no love without honesty; there is no love without justice.  That means sin has a price, folks.  If it didn’t then God would not be a just God and deal fairly with all men according to their deeds.

They need a Savior; his name is Jesus. If they confess him and repent of their sin, He will grant them everlasting life and adopt them into His divine family (Mark 10:34; Romans 10:9). Without conviction, we cannot be introduced to divine love and provision for our souls. Before we can find rest in the Comforter, we must be convicted of our sin that we might repent and also be able to cry, “Abba Father!”

How is that broken and yielded soul formed? The Holy Spirit pricks the heart (Acts 2:37) and imparts the longing to follow Christ and do all you can to win others. This is a direct result of the Holy Spirit within you, working in your life, that you might be a witness who glorifies your Father in Heaven (Acts 1:8). The Spirit of Conviction also convinces the soul (John 8:46) and makes your faults known to you through admonition or rebuke (Matthew 18:15; Romans 15:14). Sometimes, the Spirit can come in the form of another believer. Their openness may allow the Spirit to work through them and bear a message to you (I Corinthians 4:14). They could be your parents: “…but bring them up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).” At other times, it could be the Holy Spirit coming upon you through diligent study of His Word.

Colossians 3:16

“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

I Thessalonians 5:14

“Now, we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, and be patient with all men.”

2 Thessalonians 3:14,15

“And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, not that man, and have no In with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet, count him not as an enemy but admonish him as a brother.”

Titus 3:10

A man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition reject.”

In Romans 6:12-14 we are urged, “Don’t let sin reign, rise up, and live unto Christ, not yourselves.” Continuing through verses 15 to 23, we understand that our lifestyle tells the whole world about our preferences, believes, and goals in this life. We learn that we are not our own but have become ‘servants of righteousness’ (Romans 6:18). The best example is the apostle Paul as he was once a slave to the law and a persecutor of Christians. Later, Paul converts and becomes a bondservant of Jesus Christ.

The Spirit of Righteousness

As the Holy Spirit is God’s ambassador to Earth now, we see He does not merely emulate righteousness for humankind. He is righteousness, demands our righteousness, and provides righteousness to a lost and dying world.

Psalm 97:1-2

The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad.

Clouds and darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.” (see also Isaiah 51:8)

Proverbs 21:21

Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.

Proverbs 41:34

Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to any people.

Additional Scriptures for Study:

Romans 1:17; 3:22; 5:21; 5:17; 8:4; 10:3; 10:9

Philippians 3:9

Hosea 10:12

I John 2:29; 3:7

2 Cor. 5:21

Eph. 5:9, 6:14

Gal. 2:21

Tim. 6:11

2 Tim. 2:22

Titus 3:5

Hebrews 11:7,33

James 1:20

2 Peter 3:13,14

Isaiah 59:16-21; 60:11-22; 61:1-3; 64:4-6

Revelation 19:8

The Spirit of Future Judgment

In keeping with the Spirit of Conviction, the Holy Spirit is there to inform you that judgment awaits those who reject Christ and share the following truths according to Promise.

1. The Unsaved belong to Satan (John 8:44).

2. Satan’s Doom is in Progress (Romans 16:20).

3. The Unsaved Share Satan’s Doom (Matthew 25:41).

It is these three truths that serve as the primary reason the Holy Spirit’s chief ministry is the conviction of our souls, to prompt repentance for the remission of sin, that all may not perish but have everlasting life.

Once saved, we should live unto Christ not ourselves.

“For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain (Galatians 2:19-21 KJV).”

Be blessed and I look forward to sharing the next lesson with you!

– T.D.